Refrigerator defrosting deflector



se t. 21, 1948.

J. v. MErfE REFRIGERATOR DEI' 'ROS'IING DEFLECTOR Filed Jan. 16, 1948INVENTOR. JAMES V. MESITE,

h|s torney.

' food storage compartment.

Patented Sept. 21,1948

1:: s'rA'rss OFFICE Elias. (t l 621) H This invention relates to adevice for use in domestic refrigerators to prevent water and ice fromdripping into the food compartment. It

especially relates to a pair of deflector plates or baffles arranged tobe removabiy supported on the customary drip tray;

The external surfaces of the evaporator or cooling unit of arefrigerator are subject to the deposit thereon of ice, and unless therefrigerator is defrosted quite frequently, this ice attains aconsiderable depth and often overhangs the drip tray; When therefrigerator is defrosted. the ice melts and frequently drops water inthe Also, pieces of ice become detached from the evaporator in largepieces which either fall outwardly away from the evaporator so as tomiss the drip tray entirely, or if large pieces fall to the drip traythey sometimes tumble out. This falling of water and ice into the foodcompartment. is not only a matter of inconvenience, but is also a sourceof damage to food stuffs stored in the refrigerator.

It is the purpose of my device to completely prevent the uncontrolledfalling of either water or ice into the food storage compartment.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds and the features of novelty whichcharacterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in theclaims.

For further explanation of my invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary frontelevational view of a household refrigerator embodying the principles ofmy invention; Figure 2 is a side view of my device attached to a driptray; and Figure 3 is a vertical end view of my device.

I have shown a household refrigerator, I, having a food storagecompartment, 2, provided with an opening 3, in the front wall thereofand having a door, 4. Inside the refrigerator there is the usualevaporator, 6, provided with ice tray shelves, 6, and drip tray, 1. Theremaining portions of the refrigerator are not shown, but any suitablearrangement may be used. A shelf, 8, is supported in the refrigerator inthe customary manner and provides a support for the drip tray, I. Inorder to prevent a disproportionate depletion of the food storage spaceon the shelf, 8, the drip tray, 1, is customarily supplied so as to havea vertical projected area equal to that of the evaporator or a littlelarger. It is well-known that ice may accumulate on the exterior sidewalls of the evaporator .to a considerable depth so that it overhangsthe side walls of the drip tray. It is 5 apparent, therefore, that whenthe refrigerator is defrosted. that is to say, when the cooling mediumis no longer applied to the evaporator, the accumulated ice melts andthe drops of water '5 and pieces of ice will fall downwardly andfrequently miss the drip tray.

To prevent this occurrence, I provide the detachable deflector elements,9 and ill, having clips ii near the lower edge thereof for attach- 10ment to the side walls of the drip tray. The

deflector elements are preferably attached only during defrost periodsso that interference with air circulation during cooling periods isavoided.

Referring to Figure 2, the deflector element is shown as having a lengthsubstantially equal to that of the drip tray bottom which is slightly ilonger than the evaporator. The deflectors may have any convenientheight, although I prefer a height of about three-fourths that of theevaporator.

On the front end of each of the deflectors, that is to say, that endwhich is to be gripped in placing each deflector in position andremoving the same, I provide a handle portion i2.

The clips II have a base portion iii, an upstruck spacing portion it,and a drip tray engaglng flange l5. The upstruckportion it is madesufficiently long so that a channel space is provided between the flangel5 and. the deflector surface to accommodate a side wall of a drip tray.

The clip element Il may be of any suitable material though I prefer thatit be somewhat resilient in order that I may upset the end of the flangeportion it toward the deflector surface so that it will firmly engagethe side wall of a 40 ably fastened to the deflector portion 9.

It is accordingly seen that I have eliminated an inconvenienceincidental to the usual household refrigerator in a very simple andefllcacious manner.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a household refrigerator having a plurality of walls for enclosinga food storage space therein, an evaporator supported thereon from a topwall thereof; a shelf supported from the lateral walls thereof; a driptray having a bottom and side walls supported on said shelf beneath theevaporator; a pair of shield elements 5 one for each lateral surface ofthe evaporator,

each comprising a substantially planar sheet havfirst planar memberhaving clip elements attached to the right lateral surface proximate thelower edge thereof for attachment to the right side wall of the driptray, and a second shield member having clip elements attached to theleft lateral surface proximate the lower edge thereof for attachment tothe left side wall of the drip tray whereby said shield members areadapted to be supported by the drip tray and "to deflect water and icefalling from said evaporator into the drip tray.

'3. In a refrigeratorhaving a food compartment and a cooling unit, adrip tray therein having a bottom and side walls; a first and a secondshield element each having a length substantially equal to the length ofthe bottom of the drip tray and having a height substantiallythree-fourths the height of the evaporator and adapted to be supportedso that the lower portions thereof extend into the drip tray; the firstshield element being supported on the right side of the evaporator andhaving clip elements attached proximate the lower edge thereof to theright lateral surface thereof for attaching the shield to the rightlateral wall of the drip tray, and the second shield element beingsupported on the left side of the evaporator and having clip elementssecured to the left lateral surface proximate the low edge thereof forattaching the shield to the left lateral wall of the drip tray.

4. In a refrigerator having a food compartment and a cooling unit, adrip tray therein having a bottom and side walls; a first and a secondshield element each having a length substantially equal to the length ofthe bottom of the drip tray and having a height substantiallythreefourths the height of the evaporator and adapted to be supported sothat the lower portions thereof extend into the drip tray; the firstshield element being supported on the right side of the evaporator andhaving clip elements attached proximate the lower edge thereof to theright lateral surface thereof for attaching the shield to the rightlateral wall of the drip tray, and the second shield element beingsupported on the left side of the evaporator and having clip elementssecured to the left lateral surface proximate the lower edge thereof forattaching the shield to the left lateral wall of the drip tray. saidright shield member having a finger grip portion on the front verticaledge thereof proiecting normal thereto toward the right and the secondshield element having a finger grip portion secured to the frontvertical edge thereof projecting normal thereto toward the left.

5. In combination with a refrigerator evaporator and a drip tray, aright hand and a left hand shield element adapted to be supportedadjacent the right side and the left side respectively of the evaporatorto deflect water and ice into the drip tray; the shield elements eachbeing a substantially planar sheet of substantially rigid material andhaving a length substantially equal to the evaporator and having aheight not exceeding the height of the evaporator and having attached tothe lower outside surface thereof clip elements to provide attachingmeans adapted to secure said shield elements to the lateral side wallsof the drip tray to thereby effectively deflect ice and water into thedrip tray.

JAMES v. MESITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Anderson Jan. 11, 1938

